Panel OKs contractor fronting expected shortfall in projectLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A state transportation panel has approved a financing plan in which a contractor eventually picked for a highway project would bankroll part of the work until the state can raise enough money to repay it. Highway officials say they have up to $450 million set aside for the project to improve the Interstate 30 corridor through downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock, but that it could cost more. The state Highway Commissio...

Proposal to restore previous term limits submittedLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A group that wants to return term limits for Arkansas state legislators to 10 years has submitted a proposed ballot title for a state constitutional amendment. Arkansas Term Limits on Thursday provided the proposal to Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Rutledge must approve the ballot title before the group can start gathering the estimated 82,000 signatures of registered voters that will be needed to put the question on the ...

Teen flying to college orientation survives crashJONESBORO (AP) — An Arkansas father and son who decided to fly to orientation at Oklahoma State University have survived a crash landing in a parking lot. Kenneth Caubble, 40, of Jonesboro was flying the 1973 Piper Arrow aircraft Wednesday morning when the engine trouble began at 2,000 feet. He landed the plane in a Jonesboro strip center before its wing hit a parking sign and tore off. The plane then hit a second pole and flipped before the a...

Little Rock police chief reprimanded for losing handgunLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock officials have reprimanded the police chief for losing his city-issued handgun. A written reprimand was issued to Police Chief Kenton Buckner on Tuesday after he reported one of his city-issued firearms as lost or stolen. Buckner said he moved over the Memorial Day weekend and can't find his backup handgun, a .40-caliber Glock 27. The written reprimand was the only disciplinary action taken against Buckner, who s...

Man arrested on suspicion of killing co-worker in fightCONWAY (AP) — A Conway man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a co-worker. Arkansas media outlets report the 29-year-old suspect was arrested Wednesday in relation to the death of Cole Harvey, 29. He faces a second-degree murder charge. According to a police news release, officers responded to a call Tuesday that Harvey had collapsed after a fight in front of a home. Police say they found Harvey lying in the street in a pool of blood. A...

Arkansas seeking rehearing in 12-week abortion ban caseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Attorney General's Office is seeking a rehearing before the U.S. appeals court that agreed last month with a lower court that a state law unconstitutionally burdens women by banning abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy if a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a 19-page petition Wednesday seeking a rehearing before the entire 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The cou...

Event brings families of missing persons togetherLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Twenty years after 6-year-old Morgan Nick disappeared from an Arkansas recreation field, her mother said Wednesday that she still struggles with not knowing where she is. Colleen Nick spoke to law enforcement officers and family members of missing persons as part of the fourth annual Never Forgotten event organized by the Arkansas attorney general's office. The event brings the families together to speak with law enforcement...

Federal judge: Wal-Mart violated state minimum wage lawsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wal-Mart could be on the hook for more than $100 million in back pay after a federal judge ruled the company failed to pay California minimum wage to truck drivers for activities that included inspecting and washing their trucks, an attorney said Wednesday. The ruling came after the company argued that the drivers are paid for particular activities that include those tasks. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sided with the ...

Identity fraud leads to woman being 'married' to anotherJONESBORO (AP) — Jonesboro police say identity fraud led to a woman being "married" to another woman in Pine Bluff. Officer Nathaniel Cole says the Jonesboro woman had tried to file her taxes in April, but that her return was denied because someone else had used her Social Security number to file a return. The Jonesboro Sun reported the woman then went through the IRS to refile a paper copy, received her refund and assumed everything was fine....

As waters recede, cleanup starts in soggy parts of ArkansasGARLAND CITY (AP) — With water receding after recent floods, cattle are being returned to pasture and recreation areas are reopening, but many Arkansas residents have a mess to clean up. "Some had 4 to 6 feet of water in their home," Pine Bluff Treasurer Greg Gustek said, describing his neighbors' misfortune. Water rose to within an inch of his garage. "We have neighbors pulling up carpet and taking drywall out. A lot of homes are ruined. They...

Former judge sentenced in mail fraud casePOCAHONTAS (AP) — A former Arkansas district judge convicted of drug charges has been sentenced in an unrelated mail fraud case involving American Indian artifacts. Bob Castleman, who was a judge in Pocahontas over a decade ago, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison and must pay nearly $16,800 in restitution. Castleman had claimed to an insurance company in 2012 that Native American arrowheads were stolen from his residence, but they were ...

Name of trooper involved in man's wounding releasedLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas State Police have released the name of the trooper involved in a shooting along Interstate 49 near Mountainburg. The agency said Josh Elmore, 27, has been a trooper for about a year. Elmore is on administrative leave with pay while authorities investigate Monday's shooting. Authorities say Elmore came upon a man walking along I-49 southbound. Elmore approached on foot and said the man became combative. According to ...

Bids opened only on 2 major highway projectsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Bids were opened this week only on two major state highway projects due to concerns over federal funding, according to officials with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. The agency last month pulled nine projects estimated at $120 million for the Tuesday bid-letting in anticipation of a slowdown in federal transportation money. In all, the department has suspended opening bids on 70 projects worth more than $...

Hot Springs cat shelter says it is at risk of closingHOT SPRINGS (AP) — A cat shelter says it has just over three months to raise $100,000 or the 150 cats that it hosts may be homeless. The Guardian Angels Cat Rescue and Adoption Shelter told the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record it will lose its lease Sept. 30 because its building has been sold to a major retailer and could become a "hot commodity." The shelter handles about 300 cat adoptions each year and also aids sick, injured or homeless cats. Th...

Little Rock man in critical condition after stabbingLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A Little Rock man is in critical condition after police say he was stabbed by his girlfriend. Little Rock media outlets report Ricky Mays, 56, was stabbed in the chest Monday. According to a Little Rock Police Department detective summary, officers responded to a call about a stabbing at The Cottages Apartments Monday night. Police said that witnesses told them Mays and his girlfriend had been arguing when she took his cellp...

Judge: Arkansas must recognize in-state same-sex marriagesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A judge ordered Arkansas officials on Tuesday to recognize more than 500 same-sex marriages performed in the state last year, a move that will let the couples enjoy a host of benefits such as filing taxes jointly and enrolling together in state health insurance plans. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen validated marriage licenses that were issued to same-sex couples after another judge struck down the state's gay m...

Justices to review Tyson Foods appeal over class-action suit WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to weigh new limits on the ability of workers to band together to dispute pay and workplace issues. The justices said they will review a $5.8 million class-action judgment against Tyson Foods Inc. over the pay for more than 3,000 workers at its Storm Lake, Iowa, pork processing plant. The case could allow the high court to elaborate on its 2011 decision blocking a massive sex-discrimination cas...

Arkansas changing provider of standardized tests LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas will change its provider of standardized tests, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Monday, the first shake up from an ongoing review of whether to retain Common Core education standards. The state will terminate its agreement with Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and instead contract with ACT and ACT Aspire for the 2015-16 school year, Hutchinson said. A team assembled by the governor...

Arkansas judge to rule soon on gay marriages from last year LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A judge said Monday he'll decide in the next two days whether Arkansas should recognize more than 500 same-sex marriages that were performed in the state last year, a move that would let the couples enjoy a host of benefits such as enrolling together on state health insurance plans. An attorney for two of the couples told Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen her clients have been deprived of their rights for mo...

Drug director resigns county Quorum Court seatFORT SMITH (AP) — Arkansas' new drug director has resigned from the Sebastian County Quorum Court. Denny Altes of Fort Smith says in a letter to County Judge David Hudson that his job as drug director will require more time than he anticipated. The letter is dated May 26 and says his resignation is effective June 1. Hudson said he received the letter on Wednesday. Altes is a former state representative and state senator who was elected to the ...